Audio Science Review = Rebuttal and Further Thoughts
@crymeanaudioriver @amir_asr You are sitting there worrying if this or that other useless tweak like a cable makes a sonic difference.
I don’t worry about my equipment unless it fails. I never worry about tweaks or cables. The last time I had to choose a cable was after I purchased my first DAC and transport in 2019. I auditioned six and chose one, the Synergistic Research Atmosphere X Euphoria. Why would someone with as fulfilling a life as me worry about cables or tweaks and it is in YOUR mind that they are USELESS.
@prof "would it be safe to say you are not an electrical designer or electrical engineer? If so, under what authority do you make the following comment" - concerning creating a high end DAC out of a mediocre DAC.
Well, I have such a DAC, built by a manufacturer of equipment and cables for his and my use. It beat out a $9,000 COS Engineering D1v and $5,000 D2v by a longshot. It is comparable to an $23,000 Meridian Ultradac. Because I tried all the latter three in comparison I say this with some authority, the authority of a recording engineer (me), a manufacturer (friend) and many audiophiles who have heard the same and came to the same conclusion.
Another DAC with excellent design engineer and inferior execution is the Emotiva XDA-2. No new audio board but 7! audiophile quality regulators instead of the computer grade junk inside, similar high end power and filter caps, resistors, etc. to make this into a high end DAC on the very cheap ($400 new plus about the same in added parts).
@russ69 We must be neighbors. I frequented Woodland Hills Audio Center back in the 70s and 80s. I heard several of Arnie’s speakers including a the large Infinity speakers in a home.
if you need measurements to tell a piano from a flute, then I don’t know what to tell you… Maybe take on another hobby?
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@cd318 exactly - & that's why i have no quarrel on principle with more objective minded approaches to evaluating gear. people are doing their own thing. some prefer to approach it from a purely "show me the evidence" engineering sort of perspective, while others would rather primarily rely on their senses first. i lean towards the latter but there is obviously real value in the former - after all, this hobby wouldn't exist if it weren't for the efforts of a century-plus worth of electronics nerds. ultimately which "camp" people fall into makes no difference to me because at the end of the day, if i'm drawn closer in to the music, i'm happy. we should all stop playing stereo cop and just accept that different people value different things in their gear. just my .02c |
Sorry @thyname but I am person A in the above scenario. so I cannot speak to what the person B’s hearing. Maybe take it up with @prof or @cd318
again - I don’t care how you hear, or what you hear… I just want whatever I play to sound like the recorded sound. |
I don’t care how you hear, or what you hear… I just want whatever I play to sound like the recorded sound.
Doesn’t everyone? Some may feel that they can do this by ear alone. The so called ’golden ear’ brigade who have assurance that their hearing is consistently reliable and trustworthy. All of this without access to the original source of the recording. Others might want some measurements as a reassurance that their system will be a well balanced one which can handle all genres, all recordings with equal aplomb. There are some designers who like to combine the 2 approaches. Peter Comeau of IAG says that he begins with the science (flat frequency response etc) and then finishes by fine tuning by ear.
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@cd318 yeah I guess that is mirrored on the consumer end with me using the measurements to weed out things.
I liked the part where he talked about getting rid if the things that are wrong. |
